By Ruth Anne Maddox

Staff Writer

In a frantic reality TV ambush, a Boston family received a handicapped-accessible van to make transporting their 7-year-old daughter and her wheelchair a little easier.

Not only was Wally Schmelz of Shakopee caught in the middle of the ambush, but he also was driving the van while he was on the phone with Janine Pandolfino, urging her at 6:45 a.m. May 2 to come outside. Confused as to why her friend was calling her so early, she still did what he said and that’s when she saw the van with a big red bow pulling into her driveway with Schmelz behind the wheel.

Then Pandolfino saw the cameras and knew that the family friend’s fund-raising efforts had taken a different turn and she started screaming for her husband and sons to come outside.

“They all thought the house was on fire,” Schmelz said of the family members who jumped out of bed and ran out of the house. “My friend comes out with his hair sticking up and one of the boys didn’t have a shirt on.”

Submitted photo: Wally Schmelz of Shakopee with Kelly Ripa.That was exactly the raw emotion the producers of “Live with Regis and Kelly” were looking for as part of the “Mom’s Dream Come True” Mother’s Day special set to air at 9 a.m. Thursday on KSTP Channel 5.

The day before the ambush, Schmelz was in the audience for a live show when Matthew Broderick, Evan Handler, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough were the guests. After the show, Schmelz got an ambush of his own when Ripa took him by the hand to surprise him with the van.

Schmelz had written a letter to the show in hopes of getting recognition for a family he’s known for a decade. He first met husband/father Paul through business dealings about 10 years ago and he established a Web site for the family after a visit in February revealed that Janine is still lifting their 7-year-old Gianna out of her wheelchair and into the family vehicle, then hauling the 100-pound chair into the vehicle so that Gianna can attend her to brothers’ (Nicholas and Vincent) sporting events and other activities.

“I was just very humbled by what Janine goes through on a daily basis,” Schmelz said. He has followed Gianna’s story since she was born and has been videotaping her each time the families spend time together. He even started a Web site to tell Gianna’s story at www.giannasstory.com and to raise money in hopes of purchasing a van for the family. A trust — the Gianna Pandolfino Family Fund — has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank, 1156 Vierling Drive E. in Shakopee, to help with Gianna’s long-term care.

Born July 9, 2000, Gianna began suffering seizures as an infant, most likely due to a reaction to routine vaccinations.

One of the reasons the family was so surprised when Schmelz showed up with the van was that he never told them that he had written the letter.

“They’ve had a lot of disappointment and I didn’t want to get their hopes up,” Schmelz said. He, himself, wasn’t sure how likely it would be that his letter would be one of five chosen for the Mother’s Day special in which hundreds of thousands of letters were submitted. Schmelz’s neighbor, Mary Smith, encouraged him to enter the contest, telling him that she sits in front of her television every year with a box of tissues to watch these inspiring stories.

Initially, Schmelz was contacted by the show’s producers via e-mail on April 24. They said they wanted a little more information about his story and followed up with a phone call on April 25 asking him if he’d be willing to travel. Then the plan for the surprise really starting coming together.

“My dream was for them to get a handicapped van,” Schmelz said. “[Janine’s] done everything she can to maintain normalcy for all the kids.”

Schmelz didn’t know what his role would be in the surprise until the day before the delivery.

“I was quite nervous,” he admitted. The producers had tried to calm him, letting him know that there was no pressure on him, but that he’d only have one shot to get the job done because they couldn’t recapture the emotions. “I was very honored to be part of the show.”

Afterward, Schmelz got a chance to talk with his friends.

“It was very emotional,” he said. “They know I’ve been very active in trying to help their family … [and] I vowed in February to get them a van.”

With “the big one” out of the way, Schmelz plans to continue fund-raising efforts on Gianna’s behalf. The little girl will celebrate her eighth birthday while she and her family are guests at Schmelz’s home this summer.

Ruth Anne Maddox can be reached at (952) 345-66678 or rmaddox@swpub.com.